Eastman El Rey ER-M Mandolin is very cool instrument that shares DNA with the Eastman archtop El Rey models, creating a contemporary looking electric mandolin. The Eastman El Rey ER-M features a solid one piece mahogany sides and back with a solid maple top. The mahogany provides enhanced mid range warmth and the maple top has a focused note fundamental with clear top end snap. The two f holes provide a bit of traditional mandolin looks but the single cutaway and lower bout design really give it that jazz box feel.
Solid Wood
The Eastman T486B Thinline is an excellent take on the classic semi-hollow design introduced by Ted McCarty, president of Gibson, with the 1958 ES-335. Like most other versions of this design, the Eastman T486B uses pressed Maple Laminate for the top, back and sides, with a Maple block running down the center of the body. The top has a pair of F holes, and here they are bound. On the Eastman, the neck is Maple with a bound Ebony fingerboard sporting Split Block Parallelogram inlays (similar to an ES-345).
Built on the concept of the thin bodied yet fully hollow archtop electric guitar, the Eastman T64V delivers the tone, feel and look of early 1960s models. Gibson produced the first of these in 1959 with the ES-330, and in 1961 extended the design to their Epiphone line as the ES-230 Casino. That model was quickly picked up by British players including Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison who used theirs on many hits.
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MORE →The Eastman ER2 El Rey is designed to produce a full archtop sound from a smaller, much lighter body – it is only 14 inches across, a bit bigger than a Gibson Les Paul. Otherwise it has a relatively typical archtop construction – solid, hand carved spruce top, solid and hand carved flame maple back, solid flame maple sides and neck, and ebony for the fingerboard, bridge base, and tailpiece cover.
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MORE →The Eastman MDC805 Mandocello is a wonderful, rich sounding instrument that works well as a solo, ensemble or accompaniment instrument in a wide range of styles and genres, from Celtic to Classical, Latin and back again. The Mandocello had been in existence for some centuries in Europe, beginning with flat back and then bowl back. However, in 1905 Orville Gibson’s company began producing mandolin family instruments, including Mandocello models that drew from his blending of violin and guitar concepts.
Showing strong influences from the classic American Slope Shouldered dreadnought line, the Eastman E10SS/V uses all solid woods and a very nice Antique Varnish finish. The earliest dreadnought guitars were built by Martin for the Oliver Ditson company during 1916, and used the round or slope shoulder format seen here; When Martin finally put the dreadnought into production in 1931, the upper bouts or shoulders were squared.
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